The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) recently prepared a researchreport which examined the spending patterns of Alberta’s municipalities. Basedprimarily on its review of the 2000?2006 period, the CFIB concluded that municipalspending has exceeded combined population and inflation growth in recent years andraised concerns regarding the outlook for future property taxes and fees if this trendremains unchecked. The report concluded with a set of recommended policy directionsfor controlling spending at the local level.